Please
by Anneko
Summary: Ghost Whisperer x-over, makes sense even if you don't watch it Kaidoh's always been afraid of the supernatural..Problem is, now he finds out he can see ghosts. Worse yet, he has to help one of them.. Oishi/Eiji; character death.
1. Chapter 1

And another Prince of Tennis fanfic by yours truly (: This one might be a little weird, though..  
Still, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Konomi's, not mine, unfortunately..

**.o.o.o.****PLEASE****.o.o.o.**

I can't remember much about what happened... Only fragments...

His voice. Calling me. I remember that, and feeling a pair of hands on my back, pushing me.

Crash.

Screams.

I raised my head, and looked behind me.

There were glass and alluminium shards everywhere. A car crashed into a lamp post nearby, too, wrecked in pieces, smoke coming out of the engine.

_He_ was lying on the sidewalk. There was a lot of blood. I don't know what I did, but I think I screamed his name. I ran to him. My life felt like it was going on slow motion.

I can't remember anything else...

...Or maybe I just don't want to remember.

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"Eiji!!" Oishi Syuuichirou screamed, calling his doubles partner, trying to get an answer. _Please don't be dead. Please..._ "Eiji!" He repeated. People were staring. He heard one tell them to call an ambulance. "Eiji!!" Finally, Kikumaru Eiji opened his eyes just a bit.

"Oishi..." He whispered, but his fukubuchou shook his head.

"Shh, Eiji, don't speak... Save your strength..."

"I needed to... The car, it was going towards you... I... Oishi... I need to tell you something..."

"Eiji, please, don't speak. You'll be alright. You can tell me whatever you want to tell me when you're okay." The red haired acrobat smiled.

"I'm...Oishi, I..." He tried to finished his sentence, but his last breath escaped his lips before he could do so. He closed his eyes, his head falling back limply, supported by Oishi's hand.

"Eiji?" Syuuichirou called, shaking him ever so slightly. "Eiji?" He repeated, shaking him harder. "Eiji!!"

The ambulance arrived, and took Eiji. Oishi went to Seigaku, to tell the others what has happened, telling himself Eiji had just fainted. But his life was over long before they reached the hospital, and Oishi knew that, he felt that, but couldn't stand that fact. He didn't want to accept it. He started running, tears started falling. He arrived late for practise, panting, tears mixed with sweat.

"Oishi. 10 laps for being late. And if Kikumaru doesn't arrive anytime soon, he'll have to do 50." Their buchou said, blissfully unaware what had happened to their acrobatic player prior to Syuuichirou's arrival. The fukubuchou didn't move. "Oishi?"

"...He's gone..." He whispered. Tezuka raised an eyebrow, not catching what his friend had said. "He's gone!" He shouted, throwing his head back, falling to his knees. "Eiji... Eiji's gone!!"

"What do you mean, Eiji's gone?" Fuji asked. The regulars joined them, wanting to know what had caused Oishi's behaviour.

"He's... Eiji... They took him to the hospital..." Syuuichirou explained what happened, and they all left practise to go check on Eiji at the hospital. A doctor soon came to talk to them.

"I'm sorry for your friend... We did all we could, but..."

But. Just that one word. Three little letters. It was all it took for them to know that Kikumaru Eiji would no longer be playing tennis with them. They would never see the Golden Pair's performance again. They would never see Eiji's acrobatic tennis again. They would _never_ see their friend again. Oishi fell to his knees again, and Tezuka placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Ryoma covered his eyes with his cap, not letting them know that he too was about to cry. Kaidoh, Momoshiro and Inui, they all showed their sorrow, each in his own way. Fuji leaned against Kawamura, both of them with tears in their eyes. They all got out of the hospital together, deciding to tell Eiji's family what happened in person.

"It's my fault..." Oishi whispered, lowering his gaze to the ground in front of him. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I wasn't paying attention, and Eiji's gone because of that. Because of me... All in all, I killed him..."

"Oishi..." Fuji started, but he was cut off by his buchou.

"It's not something you could control, Oishi."

"...Makes you think if there really is someone up there watching, no? And if there is...why did Eiji-senpai had to go? The good ones always go first... What kind of world are we living in?" Momoshiro said to nobody in particular.

"You're not helping, Momo-senpai." Ryoma said, finishing their conversation for the time being. Untill Kaidoh stopped in the middle of the street, staring in shock at a spot on the air in front of them.

"Kaidoh?" Inui called, but his kouhai didn't move. If anything, he started to shake, his breaths getting deeper. "Kaidoh? Are you alright?" The data tennis player repeated, still getting no answer.

_"Hey, guys!! Guys!? Guys, why are you ignoring me!? ...Kaidoh? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"_ Kaoru took a few steps back. Was he seeing and hearing things? He was dead!

...Then why was Kikumaru Eiji staring straight back at him? _"Kaidoh!! What's going on?"_

"What's wrong, Kaidoh?" Oishi asked.

"E...Eiji-senpai..."

"Kaidoh..." Inui started, placing a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. He just kept staring at the acrobatic tennis player while the redhead followed Inui with his eyes. "I know it's hard... It's hard on all of us... But... Kikumaru's dead..." If he was dead, why were his eyes widening at Inui's last two words? Why was he turning to Kaidoh like he knew what what going on? What _was_ going on?

_"Is this some kind of prank? Tezuka-buchou, tell them to quit it, please, they're scaring me!" _Kaidoh watched as Eiji went over to Tezuka, but the captain didn't seem to notice him. _"Buchou!! They even got _you_ to tag along? I..."_ And so Eiji ran away. When he was out of sight, Kaidoh rubbed his eyes.

"...I must be seeing things..." He whispered, following his team mates to the Kikumaru residence, to explain what had happened to his family. Much to Oishi's surprise, Eiji's mother didn't blame it on him. Her younger son had died to save someone else's life, she had said, and that made her proud. But the fukubuchou noticed the tears about to shed on Eiji's mother's eyes, so they left, to let the family have some time alone.

"When do you think the funeral will be?" Fuji asked.

"I don't know..." Oishi said. A while after, they each parted ways, going to their respective homes. Tezuka had cancelled the next day's training session, and they all were thankful for that. Kaidoh got home, threw his bag towards his bed, and sat on a corner of his room, sighing, thinking about what had happened that day. He wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his forehead on them.

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_"Kaidoh..."_ He knew that voice. Somehow, he knew, that if he were to look up, who would be standing there. _"Kaidoh."_ The voice repeated, more determined to win the other's attention this time. He looked up to meet Eiji's stare. _"What did they mean? Why are you the only one who actually acts like you can see me?"_ Suddenly, his mother opened the door to his room.

"Kaoru-chan... I just heard what happened on the news... I'm sorry for your friend..." She said, walking over to her son to hug him, walking right through Eiji. A while after, she left.

_"It's not possible... It can't be! I mean... I'm here, right? Right??"_ Kaidoh turned on his TV. Eiji's death was all over the news. "National-level tennis player Kikumaru Eiji dies in a car accident". Kikumaru's eyes widened, looking at the screen, and back at his kouhai. _"What does this mean?"_

"It means you're dead." He said, harshly. If he was seeing things, why was he answering to an illusion? Why was _he_ seeing Eiji in the first place? Why was he asking these questions? Shouldn't he be remembering things about him, instead of making this up? And why did he feel like he was really there? Like he could touch him?

_"But...I'm here! You can see me!! Why can't the others see me?"_ He asked.

"Leave me alone!! You're dead!! I'm seeing things!! Go away!!" He screamed, putting his hands on his ears. He was scared.

"Kaoru-chan?" His mother knocked on the door, opening it. "What's wrong, honey?"

"...It's like he's haunting me..." He whispered, causing his mother's eyes to widen.

"Oh, honey..." She said, wrapping her arms around him. "Come... I want to tell you something." She said, leading him to the living room, where his younger brother, Hazue was.

"Sorry about your friend, Aniki." He said. Kaoru just nodded, sitting next to him on the couch, while his mother kept looking for something. Then, she showed him an old photo album.

"Here. Recognize her?"

"...It's Grandma..."

"Right. Look, I should've told you this sooner... Your grandmother, she...she could see ghosts. She called them earth-bound spirits, said they had unfinished business with the living so they were stuck on Earth, and they went to look for her for help, help to cross over, to go towards the light. She thought you, as her oldest grandson, might have inherited that ability..." Kaoru's eyes couldn't be wider.

"Are you serious?" Was all he could say.

"Yes. Sometimes children can see these ghosts, but lose the ability when they grow up. In your case, the death of your friend might have triggered it."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I heard you screaming."

"..." He got up, and walked back to his room without another word. He was there. He knew he would be.

_"Kaidoh..."_ Eiji repeated.

Kaidoh went back to the door and called out. "Mother... How do I know if it's really an earth-bound spirit?"

"...You'll feel what they feel." He nodded, and slammed the door shut, staring at Eiji.

"You're sad." Kaidoh simply said. Since Eiji didn't reply, he continued. "Why are you here? Why don't you just go to the light or something?"

_"I need to do something first."_

"Then just do it and go!"

_"I can't. I need your help to do it. Without you, I'm stuck here."_ Kaidoh sighed, sitting in his bed, elbows resting on his knees, head buried in his hands. This was going to be a long day.

**.o.o.o.****PLEASE.****o.o.o.**

"What do you need?"

_"...Do you know what day today is?"_

"Tuesday?" Eiji sighed in defeat.

_"...Maybe I should just tell you what happened."_ Eiji walked over to the window and gazed at the sunset and the beautiful colors it painted the sky with. _"I finally got courage. I was going to talk to Oishi. I spotted him, so I started running to him. Then I saw that car... Oishi hadn't noticed it. I called him, ran, and pushed him out of the way. The car hit me. I tried to tell him when he was holding me, before the ambulance came, but I couldn't... Then it's a blank... I remember just coming down the street to meet you guys, when you were...ignoring me."_

"What did you want to tell Oishi-sempai?"

_"...Do me a favor. Gather the rest of the team, tomorrow, in the clubhouse. I want them all to hear." _And then he was gone, along with the rest of the warmth coming from the window, heating the room with the last beams of sunlight, it went out like a candle in the wind.

**.o.o.o.****PLEASE.****o.o.o.**

To be continued! : D Reviews are love, suggestions to make this better are even more love, flaming will just help entertain my pyromania x'D


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter time! (: Sorry for the extremely long wait, I was on vacations and wanted to improve this a bit before posting it.. Hopefully you won't have to wait so long for the next chapter, which will also be the last..

Anyway, hope you like it! : D

Disclaimer: Konomi's, not mine. If it was, it wouldn't be suited for all ages, if you know what I mean ;D

**.o.o.o.PLEASE.o.o.o.**

"Buchou...I need to talk with you..." Kaidoh started, the following day, before the team had begun their training.

"What is it, Kaidoh?"

"Could you...call the team to the clubhouse? I need to talk with everyone..."

"Can't this wait until after practice?" Kaidoh looked past Tezuka, to Eiji. He had been stalking him, telling him to talk with Tezuka, and now he was shaking his head.

"I don't think so..." Tezuka sighed, and gathered the team. Soon, they were in the clubhouse, waiting to hear what Kaidoh had to say. Anyone could see by their faces that tennis hadn't helped getting over what had happened to the acrobat last day. He was missed, and so was the energy he gave to the team. The team was completely silent, and Eiji's absence was the cause of that awkward, deafening silence. "I... I know this is hard to believe, but you'll have to trust me on this one...I...Thing is, I can see and talk with...dead people." He wasn't sure a straight-forward approach would be the best, but then again, beating around the bush would only be worse.

"Kaidoh, if this is about Eiji, don't even start. It was bad enough already." Oishi started. By far, he was the most affected by Eiji's death. It was evident to everyone that he was grieving, although he was trying so hard not to let it show.

"Please, Oishi-senpai, just listen. It is about Kikumaru-senpai, yes, but... He wants you to hear it. He wants all of you to hear it."

"How can you even think you know what he wants?" The fukubuchou said, standing up.

"Because he told me."

"This is not funny, Kaidoh."

"I'm not laughing, senpai. Eiji-senpai is here... He wants to talk to you...all of you..." Oishi left the clubhouse without saying another word. If he stayed, he knew he would start crying, he didn't want to remember. Yes, he was fully aware Eiji was gone, but why was Kaidoh doing this?

_"Please go get him, Kaidoh... If there's someone I need to talk to, it's Oishi. Please?"_ Eiji asked. Kaoru got up, followed Oishi, and asked him to go back to the clubhouse.

"Why? Why should I? Kaidoh, if this is a joke, I-..."

"It's not a joke, senpai. He's here. He wants to talk to you. It's the only way I'm ever going to get him to cross over..."

"Cross over?"

"Go to the light, I guess... I don't know, it's the first time I'm doing this, but please, believe me, Oishi-fukubuchou..." Oishi gave in, walking back to where he was seated, next to Tezuka and Ryoma.

_"Thank you, Kaidoh... Guys, I... I don't want you to miss me. Forget about me! Get a new regular and win the Nationals. You can't do anything to help me now, but you can let me rest knowing that you'll win the Nationals this year, nya! I know...no more Golden Pair, no more Dream Pair... I'm sorry... I never meant to cause you trouble... Don't miss me... Be happy. I hate seeing you sad... Keep playing like you did! It used to make you happy... It _still_ makes you happy. It makes _me_ happy...It _always_ does..."_

"He doesn't want us to miss him. He wants us to be happy and wants us to keep playing because it makes us happy, and it makes him happy too. You can't help him now, but he wants us to win the Nationals for him."

"...as expected from Eiji..." Fuji whispered, the smile on his face sad like never before. "We promise we will. It's the one last thing we can do for Eiji, and we will do it. Won't we?"

"Yes, we will." Tezuka answered.

_"Thank you..."_ Eiji walked over to his fukubuchou and kneeled down in front of Oishi, whose eyes were diverted to the floor, almost looking through the cat-like teen._ "Oishi... It wasn't a coincidence, you and me being there... I was following you, determined to talk to you... Oishi... I love you..."_ With Eiji's last three words, Kaidoh's eyes widened, suddenly realizing: yesterday... Yesterday had been Valentine's Day!

"Is that why you asked me if I knew what day it was?" He called out, earning the spirit's attention.

_"Yes, yes it was."_ Eiji explained.

"Still... Eiji-senpai... I'm not sure if I'm the right person to say that."

_"Please, Kaidoh... You're the only one that can... You are the right person... You have to be...please..."_

"Oishi-senpai... Eiji-senpai wants you to know that..." The snake-like teen sighed, gathering the courage to tell it to his senpai. "...He wants to tell you that he loves you..."

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"...what?" Oishi said, staring at Kaidoh with an unnamed expression in his eyes. He didn't believe any of this.

"Oishi-senpai..."

"...Stop making fun of this situation, Kaidoh!! Stop _mocking_ him!" Oishi snapped, leaving the clubhouse. All the other regulars looked at the door, and then at Kaidoh.

"It's true! He's here!! You have to believe me!!" Kaidoh said, while everyone else was going the same way Oishi did.

"Kaidoh-senpai...cut it off." Ryoma calmly said, straightening his cap before walking away as well. Practice began without a word and without Kaidoh too. When he finally joined them, he kept seeing Eiji, watching him, begging with his eyes for him to do something while he cried. But he couldn't, they didn't let him do anything. And Kaidoh just tried to do the same and ignore him as much as he could, look away from him, but still distracted by the sounds of Eiji crying. Seeing Kaidoh avoid looking at him, Eiji decided he had had enough.

_"Why won't you listen to him!?"_ He shouted, the baskets with the balls starting to shake, as well as the nets and iron grids around them. They were all being blown away by a strange wind that only seemed to affect the tennis courts._ "Why!?" _He repeated, still shouting and crying, as the baskets fell, sending the balls flying in every direction.

"Eiji-senpai!! Stop!!" Kaidoh asked, running to where Eiji was, across the court from him. "Eiji-senpai! Please!!"

_"No, I won't!! I want Oishi to listen to me!! OISHI!! Tell him to listen!! TELL HIM!!" _Eiji was crying.

"What're you doing, mamushi??" Momo shouted, crouching, next to Kawamura, both of them trying not to get hit by balls. The glasses in the clubroom windows broke, adding sharp shards to the chaos.

"It's not me!! Eiji-senpai is angry because you aren't listening!!"

"Kaidoh, the dead don't return!!" Inui shouted, next to Oishi, Fuji and Tezuka. "Let go!!"

"He never left in the first place!! I'm not doing this! Other than him, does your data give you any answer to what's happening!?" Inui kept silent. "Oishi-senpai..." He called. "He wants you to listen to him. Please..." Oishi started crying again, still feeling guilty about Eiji's death, and knowing that his spirit - if Kaidoh wasn't making that up - wanted him to listen.

"...I'm listening." The wind ceased as rapidly as it began. Kaidoh turned to look at his red haired senpai but he was no longer there. Instead he was kneeling in front of Oishi.

_"Oishi...Please believe me... Please believe Kaidoh when he says that I love you... It's true..."_

"...He wants you to believe what I told you earlier... Please..."

"Kaidoh...I'm sorry...I can't...I can't believe you, I'm sorry... It's too hard."

"You're wrong, Oishi-senpai... What really is "hard" is having my friend's spirit haunting me since I'm the only one here that can see him. "Hard" is having to hear him cry over you because you just won't listen. "Hard" is knowing that you, all of you, don't believe me." If it was Momoshiro he'd been talking with, they'd be screaming at each other for a while now. But Oishi was his senpai, so he couldn't do that, although it was evident that he was trying to control himself so he wouldn't snap.

"Kaidoh, stop it." Tezuka interrupted.

"...You don't believe me either, do you, buchou?" It wasn't really a question, and Tezuka didn't answer. So Kaidoh just headed for the door on the grid iron fence to leave. But Eiji slammed it closed. "Eiji-senpai, let go. What do you want me to say? I'm sorry, I tried. I can't make them believe me. ...Please, senpai, just...leave me alone."

_"Kaidoh..."_ Eiji pleaded, trying to get a reaction from the younger boy. But he didn't move. He just kept staring the floor at his feet. _"Wait... The picture."_

"What?"

_"Oishi has a picture of us from last year; we took it on our last day of school. I have the same, and only we know where we keep them. Please, Kaidoh, that has to make him believe you! His picture is in the first drawer of his nightstand, I know it is."_ Kaidoh decided to give it one last shot, since his deceased senpai was probably going to insist until he did something.

"Fukubuchou...Eiji-senpai said something about a picture...? On the first drawer of your nightstand..." A new expression suddenly dawned on Oishi's features. He was scared, surprised, and shocked at the same time.

"...So he's really here?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all along."

"Oishi..." Tezuka called. Oishi shook his head at his captain.

"No, Tezuka, it's real. There's no way Kaidoh could've known about it." Oishi explained, gaining a new strength, like a new hope that his friend was still there with them. "Kaidoh...please...tell him, that I'm sorry. It was my fault, if I was paying a little more attention, he would still be here."

"He can hear you, senpai." The viper informed, and Oishi closed his eyes for a second, shaking his head and looking at the sky.

"Eiji...I'm so sorry. I never meant to do you harm. I care for you more than anyone on this Earth, and I'd give my life to bring you back. I'd give everything to see you again, and to have to look back at me. There isn't anything I wouldn't do or give to play one last game with you, or to spend just another minute by your side. Though it wouldn't make goodbyes any easier... Eiji...please forgive me...I'm sorry. And I guess I love you too... I feel empty without you here..." He fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands. Fuji, who was closest to Oishi, put his hands on his shoulders, trying to comfort him. Eiji kneeled down in front of Oishi.

_"Oishi, it's not your fault. I don't blame you. I guess it was just the time for me to go...I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye, but I'm saying it now. Please...let go of me, but don't forget me... I love you, and I'll miss you." _He planted a soft kiss on his head, and Oishi looked up, almost as if he had felt his kiss. _"Please tell him that, Kaidoh."_ The second year nodded.

Eiji sighed, and got up, looking in the direction of the iron grid door to the courts. _"...is that the light? It's...warm, and inviting..."_ He said, walking over to it. _"But..."_

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	3. Chapter 3

Here we are, third and final chapter (:

I'm thinking it's kinda short, since it was supposed to in the second chapter, but then the second chapter seemed a bit too long..

Oh well, I hope you like this chapter, and that you liked the whole fanfic too

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Prince of Tennis.. Wish I did, though

**.o.o.o.PLEASE.o.o.o.**

_"But..."_ He shook his head, looked back at Oishi, and into the light again, and to Kaidoh. _"There's no one there for me... All my family is still alive; the boy I love is here..."_ He took a few steps back. _"...I don't want to go just yet..."_

"Eiji-sempai, you have to." The red head only shook his head more fiercely.

_"No, I won't! I don't want to!"_

"Sempai, when you get there, Oishi-fukubuchou will join you, and it'll feel like no time has passed at all, for you at least."

_"No. When he joins me, he'll be an old, old man, probably with children and grandchildren... He'll have forgotten all about me. But right now, he's still a teen, and he still knows who I am, and says he loves me. I don't want to miss him growing up. I want to see him and support him and be there for him. I want to be all those things described on those deathbed poems, like the rain, and the wind and stuff like that. I want to watch over him, and protect him. ...I don't want him to die like I did... So I'm sorry, Kaidoh. But I can't go yet." _And suddenly, he was gone.

"Eiji-sempai!!" Kaidoh shouted, but it was too late. The red head had vanished into thin air, and was nowhere in sight.

"W-...what happened?" Oishi asked.

"Eiji-sempai won't go into the light... He...loves you too much to let go..." Kaidoh was uncomfortable, to say the least, talking about his sempai's feelings for someone else. He had always been shy about his own feelings, so having to deal with other people's emotions was even worse. "He wants to stay to protect you. But..."

"...He can't do that, right?" Oishi asked, guessing the words that Kaidoh couldn't find to finish the sentence.

"No, he can't. He can't stay here; limbo isn't the place for spirits. The Earth is for the living, and apparently, the veil between the living and the dead is getting thinner... Which I think means the dead could take over or whatever, I don't know the details. Only that he shouldn't stay here... But I have no clue of his current location."

Kaidoh just hoped he could talk some sense into Eiji before someone else found him. His mother had told him other people could see ghosts too, and that some were trying to get them to the dark side, getting them to stay on Earth and block the Light so the dead could take over.

"...I think I might know where he is." Oishi stated. While the others cleaned up after the mess Eiji had made, the vice captain took his kouhai to the storage bin he and Eiji used to spend time together. Eiji was there alright, and so was someone else.

**.o.o.o.PLEASE.o.o.o.**

Kaidoh and Oishi both stared in shock at Kirihara Akaya, looking up to the storage bin, apparently talking to someone Oishi couldn't see. Kaidoh thanked for that, thanked that Oishi couldn't see the face on his doubles partner. For once, he looked like he actually had everything he wanted: his eyes were shining and there was a scary grin gracing his features. The viper caught a part of their conversation, the part where Kirihara told Eiji he could stay with Oishi if he joined him and the part where he told him he'd only be judged for being gay if he went into the light. Kaidoh cleared his throat, and Kirihara took a step back when he noticed he was being watched.

"I think I saw a cat climbing up the bin. I was calling for it." He tried to explain, scratching the back of his neck nervously and looking away. "I fell asleep on the bus and ended up here... Again." Kaidoh walked towards the bin and looked up at Eiji, ignoring the Rikkai regular, whose eyes were now following him.

"Eiji-sempai, don't listen to him. You won't get judged if you go into the light, no, that's not what the light is about." Kirihara's eyes widened as he stared in shock at Kaidoh, realizing what was going on. "I promise you."

"Y'know, you really shouldn't lie to your sempais... The light means heaven, if it means heaven, it means God and the Bible. And last time I checked, being gay was against everything the Bible said."

"The light doesn't necessarily mean heaven. The light is a place where the souls can finally rest. You'll be at peace there, sempai. Please, follow the light."

_"How do I know I can trust you?"_

"You won't trust me, your teammate, but you're willing to trust the person who tried to torture your best friend Fuji-sempai during a tennis match?"

_"He's different, I can tell! He's not like that anymore! And he's saying I can stay with Oishi..."_

"Eiji-sempai, you..." He tried to begin, but he didn't know how. He sighed, and tried again. "I agree, staying here with the person who means the world to you may seem tempting at first, but after a while... Just think, all the years Oishi-sempai still has in front of him. You'll be by his side, and you'll be able to see him. But he won't. He won't know you're smiling or looking at him. He'll never look at you again, he'll look _past_ you. He's going to move on, he's going to find someone, and what will you do? You'll watch them kiss and get married and raise a family, knowing you're there, but being constantly ignored. Is that what you want? An existence where nobody knows you're there, except for those little signs you give?"

_"At least I'll be able to see him! If I cross over, I'll lose him!"_

"Yes, you'll be able to see him, but you won't be able to touch him! He'll just walk through you. And in the light you can watch over him, and he'll join you eventually. And then you can be with him, and he'll actually look back at you."

_"I'll go when he goes..."_

"And have an empty existence? What's the point, sempai?"

_"Being with Oishi, that's the point!"_

"He won't listen to you." Kirihara said, smirking at him.

"What did you tell him?" The viper asked, starting to get mad at the other boy.

"Me? I just told him the truth!" He raised his hands in defense, lowering his voice afterwards so only Kaidoh would listen to him. "And it happened to be _exactly_ what he wanted to hear. Just think about it, your beloved sempai, helping me blocking the light too. I thought Seigaku would be more trusting in each other."

"You!!" Kaidoh shouted, tackling Kirihara to the ground and punching his face. Oishi, who kept still until then, called him and held him back from Kirihara.

"If that's how you treat the living, it's no wonder your sempai doesn't want to listen to you!" Kirihara shouted, wiping the blood at the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What's going on?" Oishi asked, still holding Kaidoh.

"He won't trust me." Kirihara chuckled, suddenly realizing something.

"You can't see him, can you?" The Rikkai demon asked in a mocking tone, turning to the third year. "You should, really. Once I told him he could stay, he looked _so_ happy... I just wonder if he'll look that happy when he watched you, say, lose your virginity with someone else."

_"...what?"_ Eiji's voice came to interrupt them.

"Ohh, don't tell me you didn't know that was going to happen eventually. We're all teenagers, and you're not here for him anymore. You weren't hoping he'd never do anything like that now that you're gone, did you?" Kirihara explained. Eiji turned to Kaidoh.

"...It _will_ happen, sempai, and you can't stop it... Do you really want to be here to watch it?"

_"...I can stop him from meeting someone else..." _Kirihara laughed.

"See? He belongs in the dark side. Not the goody two-shoes you were expecting him to be, eh?"

"Would you really want to ruin Oishi-sempai's life like that?"

_"I don't care! I want him, I need him!"_

"Sempai, you don't get it! If you cross over, you'll be with him! Here, you can only watch!"

"Kaidoh...?" Oishi asked, wanting to know what they were talking about.

"He wants to stay here and watch you. He doesn't want you to meet someone else; he wants you to be his."

"Eiji..." Oishi started. "You can't stay, I'm sorry. I'm alive, and you're... You're gone... No matter what, I'll always be yours. I'll join you in a little while if you cross over. And then we'll be together, forever. Just...cross over, and wait for me there. I promise you, you won't have to wait long... The time here and the time there isn't the same, I hope. And you can probably still watch me from there."

"If not for me, or for you, please, do it for Oishi-sempai..." Kaidoh said.

"No! You can't! Don't you want to lose him forever!?" Kirihara asked, getting desperate and seeing Eiji's soul slipping through his fingers and into the light.

"You won't lose Oishi-fukubuchou. I promise you that. I did what you asked me to, so please, do what I and Oishi-sempai are asking you to do now..." The viper pleaded. Eiji's eyes just shifted from Kaidoh, to Kirihara, and back to Kaidoh, not knowing who to believe. If the situation was any different, he would've done what Oishi asked him to do immediately, but that meant leaving him, and Eiji didn't want that.

"Yes, he will!" Kirihara shouted. "If you go, who knows when you'll be able to see him again. You really want that?"

_"Stop it!!"_ Eiji shouted, taking his hands to his ears and slamming his eyes shut.

"Sempai!" Kaidoh called, but Eiji was already gone again. Oishi turned to his kouhai.

"What happened?"

"...He's gone again."

**.o.o.o.PLEASE.o.o.o.**

A while after, Oishi had returned home, slowly walking through the streets that once seemed familiar, now feeling like he had never seen them before. He vaguely recalled the buildings, and it felt like he had been there before, but there was something missing now. The sun was almost gone, and it was getting colder. A cat ran past him, blissfully unaware of the emotional turmoil the young boy was going through right now. It all happened so fast that Oishi's brain couldn't yet process it, no matter how much that sounded like a cliché.

He opened the door and walked back to his room, his sister greeting him on the way, but he didn't greet her back with his usual smile and didn't ask her how her day had been like he always did. He just ignored her and locked himself in his room, discarding his bag on the way, throwing himself on the bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even the air of his home seemed differently. His mother came to ask him if he was alright, also calling him for dinner, but he simply replied that he wasn't hungry. The minutes seemed to be passing abnormally slowly, but the hours rushed by. And Oishi remained comfortably numb.

Slowly, the numbness wore off, and he now felt like he was being watched, like there was someone else there. He sat on the bed and looked around. Everything seemed normal; still unfamiliar, but normal nonetheless. But then he felt something on his shoulder, a rush of warmth that he felt like he knew from somewhere.

"...Eiji, is that you?" He called out, in a low tone. "Move something, give me a sign... Or whatever you can do, just, let me know if it's you..." And as in conformity with what he had asked, the drawer of his nightstand opened, and the picture Eiji had told Kaidoh about came out of it. He knew now. It _was_ Eiji. Sighing again for what felt the millionth time that day, he buried his face in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Oh, Eiji, I wish you'd listen to Kaidoh... I'll never, _ever_ forget you. But, please, try to understand... You can't stay, I'm sorry... If you love me, please, move on, I'm begging you... I really just want the best for you, and I know that's what will happen if you go into the light... And you're not happy here, I know you're not... I'm asking you this because I care for you, and I love you. Though I should've made sure you knew that before you..." He chocked on his own words, lowered his head, sighed, and resumed. "I need you to be okay. And you won't be okay if you don't cross over... This is no place for you, you can't protect me... But if you love me, please, do what I'm asking you to, and go. Please..." There was a knot on Oishi's chest, and if amplified to the part where the only thing he could do was try to stop the tears from falling. "I can't stand knowing you're here next to me and not being able to look at you anymore."

Eiji had kneeled in front of him, watching his loved one with sad eyes. He too was crying. And then next moment he was gone, gone to get the one who could tell Oishi his decision. A decision his mind had just realized, but that his heart knew all along.

**.o.o.o.PLEASE.o.o.o.**

_"I need your help." _Eiji's voice came to interrupt Kaidoh's thoughts, causing him to drop and break the glass he had in his hand. The viper turned around to face the spirit of his red-head sempai, still not used to have him suddenly show up behind him. His sempai had always been fast and agile and, in a way, kind of sneaky, but his death seemed to have taken things to a whole new level.

"Stop sneaking up on me like that, sempai." Kaidoh shivered. The idea of seeing ghosts hadn't really sunk in yet, especially since Eiji looked exactly the same as he did when he was alive. He had always thought ghosts were like they were portrayed by ghost stories: kind of grey-ish and see-through. It made his head hurt.

_"I need your help." _Eiji repeated._ "Can you call Oishi?"_

"Sempai, it's late... He's probably asleep by now. Whatever it is, can't it wait until tomorrow?"

_"Please, I need to tell him now. And he's awake; I was with him just now."_

"Then why didn't you just tall him whatever it was."

_"Because, Kaidoh, I'm _dead_, or have you forgotten that already?"_ Eiji snapped. Kaidoh blinked, suddenly remembering that Oishi couldn't see or hear Eiji anymore. It felt awkward, to say the least, for him to know his sempai was there while nobody else could. In his mind, it still felt like Eiji was flesh and bone._ "I've made my decision."_

**.o.o.o.PLEASE.o.o.o.**

Oishi didn't hear his phone ring the first time. He moved to answer, but he was too late. He had no idea if Eiji was still there, there were no other signs of his presence, and he had felt a sudden cold wave moments after he had spoken to Eiji, not even knowing he had been listening. He hoped that sensation he had felt had something to do with Eiji, and that it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. His cell phone said he had missed two calls, both of which were from Kaidoh. If it's important, he thought, he'll call again. And he did.

"Hello?" He said after hitting the correct button and taking his cell to his ear. "Yes, Kaidoh... Meet me? Can't it wait until tomorrow? It's really late..." Oishi felt a faint smile creep up his features when he heard Kaidoh's reply, and he chuckled softly. "I know what you mean; Eiji can be pretty stubborn when he sets his mind on something." He sighed again. "Okay, I'll be back at the storage bin in a few. See you there."

Then he hung up.

**.o.o.o.PLEASE.o.o.o.**

It was cold outside, Kaidoh noticed, regretting that he didn't bring a jacket with him. He walked the empty streets back to where he was supposed to meet Oishi, with Eiji by his side.

_"The moon... It's pretty, nya..." _The red-head commented, like he had never noticed it before._ "...You know, being dead sure gives you a whole new perspective." _He said. It seemed like he was coping rather well with the idea of being dead, though, except for the problem with Oishi and Kirihara. Kaidoh didn't reply, though.

A while after, they were back to where they had been a few hours before. Only this time it was Oishi that was sitting on the storage bin, gazing at the stars above him, and how they seemed to be unaware of the pain he felt for losing Eiji. No matter what, they kept shining above him with cruel disdain for lesser mortals like him. Kaidoh cleared his throat, earning his vice-captain's attention. He climbed off of the storage bin that he and Eiji once considered theirs and walked towards his kouhai.

"He's here." Kaidoh said. "He says he's made up his mind and wants to talk to you." Oishi nodded, hanging his head low.

"Eiji... Please... It hurts me to know you're here. Please... Go..." The third year was starting to choke on his own words, feeling tears welling up inside him once more. "You mean the world to me... If I could, believe me, I would've taken your place and not even think twice about it. Unfortunately, I can't. But I can ask you this, ask you to move on. Still, asking is all I can do."

_"Oishi..." _Eiji was suddenly standing next to Oishi, wanting to touch him but failing to do so. _"I'm sorry, I didn't know it meant this much to you... If you want me to, then I'll go... I'll leave." _He took a few steps towards the railing by the storage bin. _"Kaidoh...Thank you. Please, don't forget about me. Move on, yes, but don't let go. We'll meet again someday... I know we will. Just make sure he's okay as far as you can..."_ He took a few more steps towards the railing, and then turned to Kaidoh again. "Tell him... Tell him I'll miss him."

"I will." Kaidoh nodded, smiling back at him, and feeling tears rolling down his cheeks. Eiji flashed one last smile, the smile he put on his face when he had just won a match, or when he was feeling tremendously happy. And, for a moment, it was like he was still there, standing next to them, and nothing had happened. For just a moment, everything seemed right.

And the next moment, Kikumaru Eiji was gone forever, leaving behind the lingering aroma of candy and his current favorite toothpaste, his trademark scent.

A nostalgic smile sprawled across Oishi's features when Eiji disappeared. "I can feel him now...He's so happy... Oh, Eiji... I love you, I'm sorry..." He walked tow where Eiji had last stood before he vanished, leaning against the railroad and looking up at the sky and taking everything in.

"Goodbye..."

**.o.o.o.PLEASE.o.o.o.**

So, what did you think?

It's my first-ever completed multi-chaptered fic, too :D and it's finally done! Hopefully it wasn't too boring (or OOC).. Oh, and reviews are much, much love.


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